Saturday, January 12, 2019

Review - An Anonymous Girl

Title:   An Anonymous Girl
Author:  Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanan
Genre:   Psychological Thriller
Publisher:   St. Martin's Press
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:  375
Date of Publication:  January 8, 2019
My Rating:  5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:
The next novel of psychological suspense and obsession from the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us.

Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave.

Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt?

But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking… and what she’s hiding.

Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about?

As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime?

From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone. 


MY THOUGHTS:

Jessica Farris is a makeup artist and, simply put, she certainly isn't getting rich from it. When she overhears her clients discussing an upcoming survey that pays big while just asking a few questions, she manages to take on that very job. Little did she know that three simple questions, listed above in the description, would change her life forever.

What would you yourself say if just a few questions could net your a quick $500? Too irresistible to resist. But quick cash certainly came with a price for Jessica. She takes this opportunity to become brutally honest in her answers. However, the more information she relays, the more intrusive the questions become. The questions turn into mini-tasks, and eventually become full-fledged assignments.

The questions of honesty, obsession, fidelity and even murder flit throughout Jessica's head over and over again. Why can't she just walk away? What compels her to stay with it? Who is asking her these questions, by the way? A Dr. Shields, and boy, is she a doozy! She is unethical, twisted and controlling beyond belief. A side note: next time I am in a mall, and a surveyor approaches me, I will likely just walk away. No, I will run away. LOL.

What makes Jessica An Anonymous Girl beyond the survey questions? The answers get deeper and deeper. Layer after layer. We not only get to know Jessica on several levels, but we actually get to know Dr. Shields. And, the way this book is written, we are able to get into their very minds. We see their thoughts, motivations, actions. So, although things seemed quite innocuous at first, that certainly was not the case.

The twists and turns in this diabolical read go past the issues of morality and ethics. With intense characterization and exceptional storytelling, this book offers a compelling, suspenseful read with an unforgettable conclusion.

Time and life got in my way in more ways than one. For starters, it took me months to get to this book and a matter of almost two days to read it. After devouring The Wife Between Us by Hendricks and Pekkanen, I knew without a doubt that An Anonymous Girl would be loved by me just as much. I guess I was right. If at all possible, this book is even better, if not more addictive. I can say this, the next early copy I get from this talented pair will not simply be space taken on my Kindle. I will indeed carve out time to read it much sooner than I did this one.

I am so pleased to have learned that The Wife Between Us will be a feature film and that An Anonymous Girl is in development for a television series. Having had the opportunity to have read them first makes me feel pretty darned good. 

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

GREER HENDRICKS, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Wife Between Us. Prior to becoming a novelist, she spent over two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster. She obtained her master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University, and her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Allure, and Publisher’s Weekly. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children.
Find Greer: web | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SARAH PEKKANEN, coauthor of the New York Times besteller The Wife Between us. Her personal interests are: Chocolate, reading, writing, long walks with my rescue lab Bella, procrastinating, Reality TV (though it shames me to admit it), sharing a bottle of wine with my girlfriends, and hanging out with my kids. Her favorite books are: In Her Shoes, Something Borrowed, Bitter is the New Black, The Nanny Diaries, Bridget Jones' Diary... far too many to list. I'm a book-a-holic.

Find Sarah: web | Facebook | Instagram


7 comments:

  1. I am glad you liked it, I have it on my list too

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  2. I didn’t read this one, but I enjoyed The Wife Between Us. I kinda wish I’d requested An Anonymous Girl too now that I’ve read your review!

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  3. I added this to my list as soon as it started popping up all over the blogospherre...

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  4. I have both of these ladies' books on my TBR :) Can't wait to dive into them! They seem like a fantastic writing duo. Great review!

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  5. Great review, I've been dying to get my hands on this book since I first heard about it a couple of months ago. This book looks and sounds absolutely fantastic and my kind of book. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post Robin.

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